Obituary of Richard Van Horn

RICHARD J. VAN HORN 1963-2023

Richard Van Horn, passed away unexpectedly after a brief illness, on June 21st.  He was born in Smithtown, New York on November 4, 1963, the eldest son of Richard G. Van Horn and Irene Van Horn.  The young family moved to Bethany, Connecticut where Rich, and his brother, Michael were raised.  While growing up in Bethany, Rich played football as a defensive end throughout high school, receiving a regional football honor.  He was a National Honor Society student.  Rich attended Boston College and graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Computer Science.

Following college, Rich worked for prestigious institutions including, The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Fidelity Investments, Goldman Sachs, and J.P. Morgan Chase in the field of cyber security.  Most recently, Rich was employed by the International Rescue Committee.  After spending years in the “for profit” world, Rich found a lot of satisfaction in working to help refugees with the IRC.  Not only was his work meaningful to him, but it also afforded him the opportunity to travel to very unique destinations across the world. 

Rich was also an entrepreneur, he had many ideas about how to incorporate his knowledge of technology into other businesses.  Starting back in the 80-90s, his first startup up was a music website.  His latest idea was a more secure way to manage passwords. He never stopped pursuing his interests through various business ventures.

Rich enjoyed sports in many forms.  In addition to playing football, judo, and karate in his younger years, he enjoyed playing tennis, basketball, and bowling.  He especially loved playing with his children.  He coached all three of his children as they grew up on their soccer teams.

Richard leaves behind three children whom he loved and were his pride and joy, Katherine (Katie), Alexander (Alex), and William (Will), his mother, Irene Van Horn, brother, Michael Van Horn, nephew, Jake Maines, and his lifelong best friend, Bill Rosen.  Rich was preceded in death by his father, Dick Van Horn.

As per his wishes, there will be no service.  A memorial celebration of his life will be planned at a later date.

Richard was a supporter of Amnesty International.  The family would like to honor his wish that donations may be made in his memory to Amnesty International at https://www.amnesty.org/en/donate/